All too often I see creative briefs that are either filled with marketing jargon, lacking the correct details, or both. I personally prefer creative briefs that are simple and to-the-point. They give you the essentials to fully comprehend the project, while opening the door for the creative juices to flow.
In working with corporate teams, what I love most is the seamless relationship that develops with ongoing work. Once we get in the flow, it’s easy for the team to brief me on new projects as they arise, often with tight timelines. Sometimes these briefs can be as little as just a few points. Because I have gotten to know their brand so well over time, they don’t need to include every detail or brief me from scratch. For this reason I’m able to turn around the work quickly with few revisions. All in all, it’s a mutually beneficial relationship that is a real time-saver in the fast-paced corporate environment.
This kind of regular relationship also supports brand consistency by involving the same go-to partners on numerous projects for a single brand. Oftentimes I will catch consistency errors that the corporate team may have overlooked because they are so close to the material.
In this guide, I’ve developed a detailed list that covers the major points a corporate team needs to address with a designer. You may or may not need to cover all these points—choose those which are applicable to your project and situation. This checklist will help ensure you’ve got everything covered without including anything extraneous.
